promises and threats and to say within your selues this good or euill shall surely be performed vnto me accordingly And so mighty is the Word of God that if it be thus hidden in the heart it shall surely purge the heart make it good if it be ingraffed in the soule it is able to saue the soule if it bee couered with earth it wil bring forth a crop neither is any branch so barren and vnfruitfull but by thus applying the Word to it selfe in priuate meditation it shall by little and little be made fruitfull But many men doe want the power of the Word because they content themselues barely to reade or heare the Word or if they marke it a little for the present they esteeme-that sufficient neuer taking care to goe alone and lay it fast vnto their owne hearts Take knowledge I pray you brethren of the true cause why the Word of God doth not profit the most of your soules you come hither to heare it perhaps also you gine some reasonable heede to it and can remember what was spoken and can talke of it a little if occasion serue but the world with its businesses or delights doth so bewiteh and beguile you that you can find neither heart nor time neither wil nor leasure to call againe to mind the things that you haue heard and to aske your selues Doe I this dutie am I guilty of this sinne doth not this reproofe pertaine to me haue I any part in this promise and accordingly to striue with your owne hearts to be either humbled or comforted and so to resolue on amendment and reformation according to the Word This is the cause that we haue so too too many fruitlesse hearers Hence it is that so much is taught so little practised How long will you continue to neglect this most sauing and most profitable exercise of binding the Word on the tables of your hearts and of incorporating it into your soules and being Gods instruments to ingraue it in your owne minds by meditating on it and by busying your cogitations vpon it afterwards as a thing that much concerneth you How often haue you been told that much hearing without meditation wil breede nothing but a swimming knowledge that it will not beget holinesse that it will not renew the soule but that hearing seconded with meditation will quicken and will sanctifie I pray you take notice of this fault amend it Redeeme time as to come and hearken to the voyce of God speaking to thee so likewise to get alone afterwards and apply it to thy selfe in thy serious meditations Certainely if we did thus declare our high esteeme of Gods Word and make it appeare that our soules did account of it as of a thing most pretious and healthfull to our soules the Lord of heauen would not faile to giue his blessing and to make it mighty to the working of a godly conuersation in vs it should bring forth the fruit of good liuing But lastly Lastly pray to God to make vs frui full by his Spirit you must also ioyne with your meditating which he that meditateth cannot but doe he that meditates not can hardly doe in any earnestnesse constant prayer vnto God for his holy Spirit to write his Law in your inward parts to engraue it in the fleshly tables of your hearts and to moue and incline your wills to obedience that so you may become the Epistle of God ministred by men For fruitfulnesse is a supernaturall effect it comes not from any power inherent in mans soule or arising from his owne wil but it is an effect of the spirit of life and grace which is sent from Christ the Vine as it were sap into the seuerall branches that doe sucke and draw it from him in his ordinances and by name by faithfull and earnest and continuall requesting it at his hands You must therefore make conscience to call vpon God for the good worke of his spirit to helpe you to liue holily to make you assured of his loue feruent in loue to him zealous of his glory and constant in walking in his lawes And in particular you must daily beg of him to strengthen you for the performance of such and such duties and leauing of such and such sinnes as from time to time the Word of God which you heare doth call vpou you to leaue or to performe God will be entreated for all good things and hee hath bound himselfe not to deny the requests of all that call on him Matth. 7.8 Euery one that seeketh findeth O comfortable and large promise answering all obiections and able to stay vp the soule against all discouragements Neuer any man was so wicked sinful but if he would come to the Lord earnestly beseech him for his name sake to change his heart and life and continue constant in following this suite the Lord did surely hearken vnto him and make him godly You cannot be good of your selues but you may if you will not winke see your owne badnesse and your owne impotency You may if you will not harden your owne hearts and make your selues carelesse of your owne soules cry and call to God to make you good and importune him with perpetuall supplications to bow and incline your hearts to keep his precepts to open your eyes to see and your hearts to entertayne his holy Law that you may conuert and he may heale you This I say you may doe if you do not make your selues wilfull and obstinate by contemning the exhortations of Gods Word and euen stopping your eares against it and by wilfull turning your hearts after other matters I haue shewed you now how the barren may become fertile how the dry may be filled with sap and how the liues of them may be made godly and Christian which are yet farre from godlinesse and Christianitie See your barrennesse and to attentiue hearing ioyne diligent meditating on the Word you heare and constant prayer vnto GOD for the strength of his Spirit to make his Word effectuall and to giue you grace to obey it then shall you surely be made branches bringing forth fruit for then do you abide in Christ and his word abideth in you and that our Sauiour himselfe doth after wards prescribe as an infallible way to bring forth much fruit CHAP. XIX Containing the fourth vse BVt now it is time that we turn our selues vnto the fruitfull branches The sruitfull must be comforted therein to diuide vnto them that comfort which GOD hath allotted vnto them which this text affordeth and they stand in need of For all those therfore that do bring forth fruit in Christ in such sort as hath bin shewd we haue much good to speake and ioyfull tidings to deliuer Wee are to assure and secure them against all the feares of their owne hearts against all the cauils of Satan and false censures of the wicked world that they be not hypocrites but true-hearted and
of vprightnesse We cannot ouercome the smallest corruptions of our hart in our owne strength but it must be a diuine power which must inable vs to preuaile against sinfull dispositions Now this strength the Lord of heauen the strong God the author of all strength is ready and willing to bestow vpon all that humbly sue vnto him for it for he giueth to all liberally and hitteth no man in the teeth Beg then for the spirit of power and of a right mind and beg heartily and confidently because thou beggest of him that is able to giue and much more willing then thou art to receiue He that hath made others of weake to become strong and of false to become true can and will performe the same grace to thee according to his promise For hee commandeth all to aske and shuts vp his mercies from none that truly and heartily beseech the same at his hands Perhaps the diuell may seeke to turne thee from this exercise of prayer by casting in a cauill against thee to this purpose that the prayers of Hypocrites cannot be accepted and thou hauing been hitherto but an Hypocrite how should thy prayers preuaile in heauen For the settling of thy soule against this doubt know that the prayer of an Hypocrite that doth not see and lament his hypocrisie cannot indeed bee bidden welcome in heauen but all that are heauy laden with sinne haue a command to come vnto Christ Iesus and a promise that they shall be refreshed wherefore now thou hauing begun to see and detest and bee burthened and grieued with thy guile good warrant hast thou to aske helpe and good assurance that thine asking shall not be in vaine Therefore I say againe lift vp thine heart and voyce and cry mightily to God for the powerfull worke of his Spirit to make thee sincere before him O Lord say thou which art onely able to forme the soule of man anew within create thou in me a new heart and forme a right spirit within me make me sound in thy precepts and let not iniquity haue dominion ouer me Make me Lord a true Israelite in whose spirit there is no guile Make mee truly good good for thy sake and because thou wouldest haue me good that I may please thee and not onely or chiefly that I may serue mine owne turne yea or saue mine owne soule yea generally and vniuersally good good in all things with such a goodnes as thou accountest perfect in thy Son Christs perfection because he in whom it is doth striue labour after perfection Follow this suit most closely and earnestly and giue not ouer till thou findest it granted if thou canst not go on in variety of words yet repeat ouer the same petition often and often and be not weary for so they be hearty feruent the Lord of heauen will neuer be weary of such repetitions Our Sauiour hath spokē a Parable to the intent that we shuld pray alwayes and not waxe faint Thou knowest I presume what the parable is A poore Widdow by importunity forced an vnrighteous Iudge to do her iustice against her aduersary How much more shall the righteous God auenge the cause of his seruants that cry day and night vnto him And if his compassion be such towards them that he will auenge them of their externall enemies which onely seeke to make their liues tedious by persecutions shall hee not much rather assist them against their inward corruptions which tend to bring their soules to destruction wherefore resolue thy selfe to be importunate and to take no nay nor euer to giue ouer till thou hast sped in thy suit wherin nothing can hinder thee from speeding but thine owne too soone giuing ouer the suit through wearinesse Men are troubled with earnestnesse and importunity and amongst them many times a stout begger hath a stoutnay because they condemne it as a matter of impudency to be a stout begger but to God nothing is more pleasing then this stirring vp our selues to take hold vpon his name and this giuing him no rest day nor night till hee heare our prayers and with him onely faint suitors that will take a repulse easily and bee soone put backe doe goe away empty of the thing they sued for Know then that thy saluation dependeth vpon this matter and therefore as in a case of the greatest importance in the world make thy desires feruent and resolue neuer to cease asking till thou shalt receiue the Spirit of truth and vprightnesse And know that God doth not deny to heare thy prayers at first because he is not able or willing to grant them or because hee counts it a matter too troublesome for him but alone to indeare the benefit obtained to make thee see the worth of it and become the more thankfull Pray therefore and pray feruently and pray continually O Lord create a right spirit in me and make me sound in thy precepts And to prayers 4. To meditate often on the excellent nature of God ioyne in the fourth place holy meditations of the nature of God for hee that knowes God thorowly and is to any purpose acquainted with the excellency of his nature in himselfe and sees the beauty of his grace in the face of Christ cannot but be so farre in loue with him as euen to be good for his sake and to make him the beginning and ending of all his desires and indeuours It is alone ignorance of God that makes vs set our selues in Gods roome and aime at our owne benefit in stead of his glory But he that will take paines to cleere vp his owne eyes and to behold the glory of God as he hath reuealed it in his Word and in his Gospell shall be so affected with the splendor thereof as that now he will account nothing worth any thing but that surpassing glorious Maiesty that infinitely excels all things and so hypocrisie must needs vanish The knowledge of God will make a man to perceiue how little it shall auaile him to disguize himselfe The knowledge of God will make him to see how worthy the Lord is of all the seruice of all creatures The knowledge of God will make his heart to become in loue with God and no man will dissemble with him whom he loueth wherefore labour to get and to grow in this knowledge by a frequent pondering and musing vpon the nature of God and beholding in his Temple the beauty of his Maiesty as Dauid speaketh Tell thy selfe often of his infinitenesse and eternity and that all things are from him and by him and for him and hee alone is from and of himselfe Say vnto thy soule hee is the owner of all things and the ruler of all things All the good properties of all creatures be but drops of his sea and sparkes of his flame and there is infinitely more of all good things in him alone then in all them and whatsoeuer is in them it is more his then theirs and their
power of being healed and knit againe by the meanes of some playster or medicine skilfully applyed but cut a sticke of wood or breake it in peeces and no playsters will make vp the wound or knit the broken peeces together againe So is it with corrupted mankinde and this is all that the truth of Gods Word will giue vs leaue to ascribe to man as a reason of his being truely ingraffed into Christ he is capable of such a worke of Gods Spirit But the Principall and onely actiue cause 2. From God is Gods power and goodnesse that cause beyond which it is a madnesse to enquire for any other cause The Lord doth please to bestow effectuall grace vpon those whom he will receiue to mercie whereby they haue not alone their mindes inlightned to some perceiuing of the truth of Gods word but also their wills by the mighty operation of the holy Ghost subdued to the obedience of the same So by the infusing of a new life into them they are inabled to become such as hee doth wish them to be and as themselues desire to be accounted Were it not for this grace all in the Church would be hypocrites as well as any but it pleaseth the Lord to bestow that grace vpon one whom he hath inabled to desire it that hee may gratiously bestow it which to another hee giueth not but leaueth him to his owne carelesnesse of it that missing it by his owne default his blood may bee vpon his owne head So the perdition of hypocrites is of themselues because they willingly refuse the goodnesse of God which hee doth offer them the soundnesse and happinesse of the Saints of God is of his free grace that breakes the yoake of sinne which held them vnder and makes them willing of vnwilling and able of vnable to turne themselues vnto him For to imagine as some will needes doe that the Lord doth deale no more bountifully with one than with another of the members of the Church but that the cause why one becomes an hypocrite the other preuaileth to vprightnesse is meerely and wholly in themselues is a fancie I thinke so contrary to all both Scripture and experience of Gods Saints that hardly can any be deceiued with it but hee that neuer felt what it was to be vpright and whence it came And thus haue we laid before you the truth of this point CHAP. III. Shewing the description and sorts of hypocrites NOw it is very requisite that wee make a plaine and sound explication of it to the intent that euery man may discerne of himselfe and of his owne estate whether himselfe be an hypocrite yea or no. Wee will therefore doe our best to lay the matter open clearely that it may bee euidently discouered to them that will take the paines of inquiring about the point who is guilefull who without guile and for this purpose it is necessary to stand vpon these foure heads First to shew what an hypocrite is secondly to shew the diuers sorts or rather degrees of hypocrites thirdly to set downe some generall notes of difference betwixt the true-hearted and the hypocrite Lastly to declare more particularly the agreement disagreement of them both in foure principall and maine graces whereof the one hath alone the shadow the other the substance that is first in knowledge secondly in faith thirdly in repentance fourthly in good life or in obedience First then for the describing of an hypocrite What an hypocrite is viz we must make vse of a necessary rule of Logicke which bids vs to define the concrete by the abstract as they terme it as no man can possibly declare what a white thing is but by conceiuing and expressing what is whitenesse nor what a prowd man is but by vnderstanding what pride is nor what an hypocrite is but by knowing what is hypocrisie And againe we must vnderstand that vertues and vices do not denominate their subiects vnlesse they be in them in so high a degree as to preuaile and be predominant ouer their contraries as nothing is called white but that in which whitenesse so preuaileth that it partaketh more of white than of any other colour and if a thing doe so pertake of whitenesse we call it white though it faile much of the whitest whitenesse that may be So is hee called a proud man in whom pride preuaileth an infidell whom infidelitie ruleth a reuengeful man in whom reuenge doth beare sway and a couetous man in whom couetousnesse raigneth And so must wee likewise conclude in the present matter that hee is an hypocrite in whom hypocrisie preuaileth and beareth rule To the making of an hypocrite therefore three things must concurre A prosessor of Christian religion in whom hypocrisie ruleth first a fit subiect viz. such an one as doth at least in appearance professe himselfe to be a Christian and to beleeue in Christ As nothing can bee called an vnfruitfull branch if it bee not a branch so neither can any man bee termed an hypocrite vnlesse at least externally he bee in Christ in this meaning as wee now take the word hypocrite in opposition to a sound member of Christ Secondly there must be in that subiect an adiunct that vice of hypocrisie and thirdly this vice must bee in that subiect in such degree as to beare to rule and to bee as they terme it predominant Wherefore for our further information in this matter which is most exceeding needfull to be very distinctly knowne and conceiued of wee must search into the nature of that crooked What hypocrisie is viz. selfe-couering and selfe-cousening vice of hypocrisie about which wee neede not goe farre but alone turne our thoughts to the Apostles description of it 2. Tim. 3.5 viz. that it is a forme of godlinesse without the power thereof It a false fained goodnes a goodnesse alone painted and put on and counterfeited In plaine words thus you may describe it A corruption of the will A corruption of the will inclining it selfe to doe some good leaue some euill for ones owne sake whereby it inclineth it selfe to seeme good by doing some good and leauing some euill for ones owne sake For euery man is naturally desirous to haue other men esteeme him good and to esteeme of himselfe also as of one that is good and because neither will his neighbours conceiue so of him neither can hee so conceiue of himselfe without some ground for such conceit he is therefore willing to doe something that may worke in others and in himselfe such an opinion of him and to auoyde some other things that might procure the contrary opinion Yea euery man naturally is willing to be happy and willing to think that he shall be happy yet because this thought cannot be maintained without some colour of reason hee is also willing to doe some things that he may thinke will further his happynes and auoyde some other things that will hinder it Now when a man
his Master till he was separated from the very shew of his former appearing goodnesse and changed from being Christs Apostle to be his apprehender and a little after he was vtterly cut off and gathered and throwne into the fire and burnt when despaire was sent against him in such fiercenesse that it droue him to hang himselfe that is to say to leape quicke into hell his owne place as Peter calleth it So also was Achitophel the type of Iudas cut off and so Amaziah and Ioash and Ananias and Saphira and many more and so also are all hypocrites sooner or later cut off being caryed away either with heresies or schismes or persecutions or worldlinesse or voluptuousnesse and at last with despaire or hardnesse with some heauy hand of God likely and damnation for the vp-shot CHAP. III. Shewing the reasons of the destruction of hypocrites THus haue you seene how sure it is that hypocrites must fearefully perish Let vs consider why it must needes fall out so hard with them And the reasons hereof are to be taken from God partly partly from themselues and from all other of Gods Saints From God Reason 1 Fom God who First because he sees them Secondly because he hates them Thirdly because he will gayne glory by them For the first of these 1. Sees Though the hypocrite doe couer himselfe ouer with such a thicke cloudy as the eyes of men are not able for the most part to pearce thorow it and discerne him yet the Lord of heauen doth alwaies see him and see thorow him His eyes in euery place behold the euill and the good He tryeth the hearts he searcheth the reynes he spyeth into the deepest and darkest corners of euery soule Hell and destruction are before the eyes of the Lord how then should the hearts of the sonnes of men be hidden from him Nay doubtlesse there is neither darkenesse nor the shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselues but his eyes doe obserue and his eye-lids doe ponder all their paths From men like himselfe a man may make an easy shift to keepe his heart secret yea so is this vice giuen to cloaking and sculking that from a mans owne selfe he will make a shift to hide the odiousnesse of his inside and this filthy guilefulnesse of his owne spirit But after all the turning and shifting and winding of mankinde that shall proue true at length in spight of all which Paul affirmeth viz. that God is not mocked There is no beguiling of that all-searching eye of our Maker There is no possibility of offering couzenage and putting tricks vpon the King of heauen The Lord of all the world is not subiect to the weakenesse of earthly Princes that often take flatterers for friends and fawning sycophants for loyal subiects but euen such as a man is in deede and truth such doth God esteeme and take him for for he doth not iudge after the outward appearance but iudgeth righteous iudgement A man may say of hypocrisy as once Iob in another sence said of Wisdome That it is hid from the eyes of all liuing and kept close from the Fowles of the aire but God vnderstandeth the way thereof and hee knoweth the place thereof for hee looketh to the ends of the earth and seeth vnder the whole heauen Did not our Sauiour Christ know what was in man and therefore also refuse to trust himselfe with those hollow-harted beleeuers of his time Did not he giue Iudas his right name when hee carried himself most fairly and commendably to the world-wards euen then intitling him as he was worthy to be intitled a diuell when as yet he remained disguized with the vizard of Apostleship Doubtlesse as no wisedome counsell nor vnderstanding can preuaile against the Lord to disappoint him as Salomons Prouerb affirmeth So neither can any fraud guile or dissembling preuaile to beguile him And is it possible that his pure eyes should discouer him and his iust and almighty hand not bee stretched out to destroy him Nay verily for as he sees him 2. Hates so hee lothes him also and lothes him in a very high degree euen as we doe lothe a rotten sepulchre for all its payntings and as we would abhorre a cup full of filthy geere within though the outside were neuer so cleanly washed and farely scowred and as we could not but doe him that should beare great outward semblance of friendship and goodwill vnto vs when his heart did harbor nothing but neglect of vs or malice against vs. A false friend is alwaies more detestable vnto a man when once his falsehood is made knowne then the most violent but professed enemy Doe you not thinke that Dauid was as much or more imbittered against Achitophel then against the Philistim or Moabite that euer he fought with The hypocrite by seeming good declares that he knowes what is good and how it should be imbraced And by but seeming alone hee proueth that he hath no loue to that which hee confesseth to deserue loue and so sinning against the light that is inkindled in him must he not needs prouoke the holy eyes of the Diuine Maiesty against him In truth an hypocrite euen of the closer kinde doth exceeding grossely abuse the Lord and all his ordinances and exceeding hainously peruert his patience and kindenesse and turne the great mystery of our saluation into a very fable seeing that he is not good in good earnest but in Iest as one might well call it and how then can it be otherwise but that the wrath and indignation of God should burne against him euen vnto hell 3. Will glorify himselfe by the hypocrite seeing that in the last place he hauing fully purposed to glorify himselfe by all his creatures findes none other way left of reaping honour from the dissembler but alone by magnifying his Iustice in his ouerthrow For he neglects the offers of his loue and refuseth to conuert and wil not accept of saluation vpon those conditiōs on which God would bestow it vpon him Wee know all that God hath made all things for his owne glory in the cleere demonstration of his owne vnspeakeable excellencies by them and of this end he can no more fayle or be disappointed then be defectiue in wisdome goodnes which because they be essentiall in him he can no more come short of perfection in them then that hee can cease to be himself Now the hypocrite by the continuing such doth make himselfe vtterly vncapeable of becomming an actiue instrument to glorify the Lord by performing that that is good in his sight for fruitfull he will neuer be his impotency arising alwaies from wilfulnes or carelesnes or both seeing these twaine cannot at all or very hardly be separated one frō the other wherfore needes must he be made a passiue instrument of Gods honor whether he will or no seruing to declare his infinite iustice in his due destruction by being forced to suffer the
damnation For the thing in regard of which he doth hate sinne and would faine bee rid of it is neither onely nor chiefly this that it is like enough to bring his soule to hell but this also yea this chiefly that it is offensiue to God and displeaseth his louing Father and makes him vnable to hold such familiar and friendly society with God as else he might haue So that the misapplying of this consolation to nourish security presumption and boldnesse in sinning is a sore signe of a man that is farre enough off from any truth wherefore we desire that none of you should so abuse the sweet comforts of Gods Word But make the right and true vse of this comfort and lay it like a good plaister discreetly and seasonably to thy wounded soule and when thy doubting heart by Satans crafty prompting shall tell that thou art none of Gods because of such and such faults that thou hast committed and dost often fall into and that to this end that thereby he may cause thee to giue ouer all hope and cast off all care of praying to God and humbling thy soule in confession and suing for pardon in Christ and so to frame thee either to vtter desperation or vtter loosenesse one of which things must necessarily-follow vpon the beleeuing of that conclusion When I say Satan is busie thus to turne thy sinnes to the ouerthrow of thy faith and to the turning thee quite out of the way of godlinesse and peace now answere by the seasonable remembring and due applying of the present poynt No no. O mine vnbeleeuing heart I am full of sinnes but I confesse them and am troubled with them I fall often but I euer rise and euer resolue to rise to goe to the Lord and acknowledge and striue to bewaile them and to craue and beg his helpe against them more and more earnestly Wherfore I am sure that those sinnes cannot disproue my being a true Christian and a child of God and therefore I will both call vpon him and stay vpon him and resoluing still to striue to bee more free from sinne will rest vpon Christ for what I cannot but acknowledge to bee wanting in my selfe To see our sinnes so as to grow vile in our owne eyes and more and more contemptible in our owne account and more and more to labour to haue our soules contrite and broken for them this is a good sight of them and we must be perswaded to it but to see them so as to giue ouer hoping in Gods mercy for their pardon and labouring against them in his strength because our often foyles and failings do make vs conclude it is in vaine this is no way allowable As good scald as burnt the Prouer be saith As good not see our sinnes at all as make so bad an vse of the sight of them But now O all ye that are fruitfull branches keepe fast your title and interest into that name and let not your many superfluities so long as you finde them in pruning and cutting off make you deeme your selues vncapable of that honour CHAP. XI Containing the third poynt of doctrine that God will prune the fruitfull branches that is helpe true Christians against their corruptions ANd that you may the better inioy and not abuse this comfort proceed we now to the third of those foure poynts which wee propounded to speake of viz. Gods goodnesse in purging his seruants This pruning must needs import some act of God which is the same to the soule of a Christian man that cutting off the superfluities of the Vine-branches is to them and this can be nothing else but the helping of them against their corruptions For looke what superfluity of leaues twigs or the like is to a branch the same are corruptions of all sorts to the Christian man and therefore pruning is the taking away remouing strengthening them against these corruptions Know then for a surety that as a good and husbandly Gardener wil take away from the Vine all out-shooting and ouer growing things that might make it yeeld him lesse increase of Grapes Doct. 3 so the Lord will lessen weaken redresse the disorders of all sorts that are in his seruants The Lord will more and more weaken the corruptions of his people euen their ignorance their blindnesse their pride their passion their selfe-love their worldly-mindednesse and the like The Lord is very carefull and ready to helpe his seruants against the sinnes of their hearts and liues and against all the euill of their corrupted nature The most High is a partner with a Christian in his combate against his lusts yea the chiefe workman in this businesse of reforming what is amisse in him He will bestow dressing on his sheepe whiting on his linnen weeding on his garden and on his field Those sinnes that are in the people of God not raigning with their good liking but vsurping without their allowance haue Gods holy eyes bent vpon them indeed to obserue and take notice of them not to hate the person in whom they be for he lookes vpon the person through Christ and as Paul saith It is no longer they but sinne in them but to helpe and assist the person against them euen as a good and louing father obserues the spots of his childs face to make him wash them off and his scabs or itch to prouide him a medicine or as a kind Chirurgion lookes on a sore to search and dresse and heale it not to kill the man for it As he that meeteth with an Apple rotten at core though it look soundly on the outside casts it away from him to the dunghill so the Lord meeting with those in whom sinne hath dominion cuts them off and reiects them vtterly but as a man meeting with an Apple a little specked heere or there pickes out that is naught and pares and eates it so the Lord finding men in whom sinne is dwelling in some degree but is not predominant pickes out that sinne and preserues them for the vse of his glory The Apostle saith that God will tread Satan vnder our feet shortly and it is out of question that Satan can neuer be troden vnder foot if sinne be not yea sinne saith the same Apostle shall not haue dominion ouer your mortall bodies Can wee desire a more expresse promise The same thing we may note in the words of the Prophet I will take away the heart of stone out of your bodies and giue you an heart of flesh And againe I will deliuer you from all your vncleannesses We see the Lords intention plaine enough hee will helpe his seruants not alone against one or two but against all their filthinesses So doth the Prophet Isaiah foretell saying The Lord shall wash away the filth of the daughter of Sion and purge the blood of Ierusalem from the middest thereof with the spirit of iudgement and the spirit of burning All these places put the truth of the poynt out of doubt and
till hee be fully vnited to Christ and walke no longer by faith but by sight seeing as he is seene and knowing as hee is knowne Wee must conclude then to be walking forwards till we lye downe in graues for neuer are we at our iourneys end till then Secondly Reason 2 God hath offred them sit meanes of growing the Lord hath affoorded and prouided vs sufficient meanes and helpes to grow The Word of God is able to build vs vp yet further the Sacrament of the Lords Supper doth bring the body and blood of Christ vnto vs to be our spirituall food The Spirit of God that worketh in and with these and all other meanes is a spirit of life and serueth not alone to mortifie the deeds of our flesh but to quicken our inward man also till wee come to bee perfect men in Christ and haue his Image fully renewed in vs. We want none helpes this way that wee can desire if we want not care to vse them and we may bee well assured that hee which hath prouided them did neuer intend that they should bee prouided in vaine but that hee would haue vs vse them and by the vsing attaine the fruit of them Thirdly Reason 3 if we grow not better If they grow not better they shall soone grow worse it cannot bee long afore we grow worse There will bee a sensible decay of grace after a little while if there bee not some addition to it Wee moue either vpward or downeward and wee cannot long hang in the middest for things that doe but tend to perfection and haue not yet gotten it if they approch not neerer to it will bee remoued further from it If the fire be not fed with fewell it will goe out and a young tree if it cease shooting vp its branches doth quickly cease to liue All naturall motions are more and more earnest towards their ending and so much more swift by how much they grow neerer to their proper place of rest so must all the motions of goodnes be in Gods Saints Last of all Reason 4 our growing in grace here Growth in grace will procure growth in glory shall procure vnto vs a growth in glory hereafter The more holinesse we attaine in this world the more happinesse wee shall attaine in the other world Euery dram of grace shall bee rewarded as it were with a pound of glory If we be rich in the worke of the Lord our labour shall not bee in vaine in the Lord but hee will exceeding plentifully requite all the seruices which wee haue performed for him and all the vertues which wee haue for his sake laboured to get and exercise He that sowes liberally shall reape liberally hee that sowes sparingly shall also reape sparingly This life is our seedes-time that to come must be our haruest Who would not bee incouraged by so inestimable rewards to straine himselfe to all painfulnesse that he may grow So it is possible to grow in grace for we haue sufficient helpes and meanes it is profitable for we shall grow in glory and that also proportionably it is necessary for we are not yet come to our full growth yea it is of absolute necessity so to grow for else we shall grow worse and worse euen from ought to nought as the Prouerbe speaketh and all these reasons confirme the poynt and shew that it is the duty of Gods people to wax better and better onely it may be demanded whether that all the Saints of God do performe this duty and bee in act more holy and vertuous euery day then other To which I answere that it is with Gods people as with children who are subiect to many sicke sits in which they doe weare away and euen lose their flesh and strength but yet for all that they recouer and come to be men at last yea and strong men too A Christian oftentimes doth goe backward for a season Sometimes Gods people for a time doe grow worse but they recouer and become more humble that is better at length but hee recouers himselfe feeles his going backe returneth and at the last becomes better indeed though not in his owne feeling then euer he was For after it may bee some long fainting and fading of grace hee is brought backe with a deeper sence of his owne basenesse then euer he had before and so growing in humility growes likewise in all graces for with the growth of that all doe grow though perhaps he may not liue to doe so many excellent workes as formerly hee had done and so the story of holy Writ doth shew that it was with Dauid who seemed worse after his settling in the Kingdome then before and was so for a while but rising vp againe hee was more holy then euer before though he fought not so many battels as before CHAP. XVII Containing the first vse of the last poynt viz. a terrour to them that grow worse NOw this poynt concerning the branches bringing forth more fruit Vse 1 Terrour to them that decay rather serueth to discouer the vnhappinesse of those men in whom no such growth is found but the quite contrary viz. that are grown backwards and falne behinde hand being more feeble in all graces and scant in all good workes then formerly they were wont to be And thus alacke it is with many a man Time was when they were frequent in hearing the Word of God and could not bee kept from it by any meanes now their hunger after it is turned into fulnesse and the least occasion that is will detaine them from it yea rather then faile they will quarrell with the Minister either for some poynt of doctrine which hee teacheth contrary to their minds or for some faultinesse in the manner of teaching or for some mis-behauiour of life or for some thing or other against which they can alleage any probable shew of quarrell rather then that they will not seeme to themselues to haue cause of not caring to come to heare They were wont to reade much and pray often and take time to meditate vpon those things which they had heard but now all these things are either quite laid aside or very seldome performed once they were abundant in workes of mercy now they are scant and sparing formerly they were liuely in their seruices now little lesse then dead and so it is with them that any man which hath occasion of conuersing with them may plainly perceiue them to be changed from better to worse O this is a lamentable condition hauing its originall in the ouergrowth of voluptuousnesse worldlinesse pride or some other like carnall affection and shall haue its issue either in some grieuous sinne or heauy calamity or both euen though they bee Gods children I dare not say brethren that it may not befall a true Christian thus to fade for a season and yet the withering of the blade is a sore signe of a stony ground But this I dare